Rahane Deflects Green Bowling Query to Cricket Australia After KKR Loss

During the post-match presentation, when asked why Green didn't bowl, Rahane responded that the question should be asked to Cricket Australia.

"That question you need to ask Cricket Australia," Ajinkya Rahane said.

Green, who was signed by KKR for a record Rs 25.20 crore, contributed a quick 18 off 10 balls with the bat, but didn't deliver any overs.

Rahane said it was a tough match for KKR's inexperienced bowling attack and also praised his own batting. He also highlighted Kartik Tyagi's performance with the ball.

Rahane expressed hope that Green bowls will soon improve team balance, calling the game a learning experience with many positives.

"It was really tough [for bowlers]. Inexperienced bowling attack, but these boys will learn. Strong batting lineup. So it's a learning curve. I thought MI batted well. So our bowlers will definitely learn. Really happy with the way I am batting in the moment. Hopefully Green starts to bowl soon and the combination will be slightly different. We batted really well but finding that balance with the ball is really important. We batted well and I thought Kartik Tyagi bowled well. Played after a while but he was really good. Lot of positives and long way to go," Rahane said.

Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya, on the other hand, said the team was happy to finally win their season opener for the first time since the 2012 edition and credited the bowlers for keeping the target manageable, noting that while very high scores are tough to chase, 220 runs is achievable.

"Obviously it's been a long wait [to win the season opener]. Everytime we've come we wanted to start the season on a high. The whole group is very glad we were able to do it. [On chasing big totals now] Modern cricket, plus we've seen what this wicket plays like. Credit to the bowlers, not letting KKR fly away to 240s or 250s. Those become tough targets but 220 is always chaseable," Pandya said during the post-match presentation.

Pandya praised Rohit and Rickelton for their exceptional batting and also lauded Shardul Thakur's smart bowling. Pandya jokingly said that he told Thakur to stay with the franchise for the rest of his career.

"Rohit and Rickelton were outstanding. Whenever I see Ro (Rohit) play some shots, it opens everyone's mouth. Nothing short of excellent, nothing short of outstanding. [On Thakur] I told him, enough hopping franchises. You have to be here for the rest of your career. The way he outsmarts batters, the way he bowls, brilliant," Pandya said.

Coming to the match, Mumbai chased down a formidable target of 221 to defeat KKR in the second match of IPL 2026. The chase required something special, and Mumbai's openers delivered exactly that. Rohit Sharma (78 runs off 38 balls), along with Rickelton (81 runs off 41 balls), played a fantastic knock as they registered their biggest run-chase in IPL history and also won their first season-opener since the 2012 edition of the IPL.

Kartik Tyagi (1/43 in 4 overs), Sunil Narine (1/30 in 3 overs) and Vaibhav Arora (1/52 in 4 overs) were the only wicket-takers for KKR.

Earlier, KKR delivered a good batting performance against MI after being asked to bat first, posting a formidable total of 220/4

Led by a scintillating half-century from captain Ajinkya Rahane (67 off 40 deliveries, including three fours and five towering sixes) and Angkrish Raghuvanshi (51 off 29 balls, with six fours and two sixes).

Apart from them, crucial contributions from Finn Allen (17-ball 37, including six fours and two sixes) and Rinku Singh, who stayed unbeaten on 33 off 21 balls, with four fours, helped KKR set up a challenging target despite a three-wicket haul by speedster Shardul Thakur.

- ANI